Heir of the Lost Knighthood Eldritch Order
Title: 'Lost Knight, Noble Defender Prerequisites: Wyrd 5, Resolve & Composure 3, Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina 4, Brawl, Firearms, or Weaponry 3 Joining: Joining the Knighthood is a closely guarded secret. A potential candidate must be selected by the Keeper of the Oath, a noncombatant lore-keeper of the order and the closest thing the order has to a commander. Upon selection, the candidate must pass several tests which are carried out by several of the Knights. These will assess the individual's physical and mental prowess as well as the resolve of his heart and honor. It is not enough to the knighthood that this candidate be an exceptional warrior, he must also be a noble soul. After these initial trials, a Knight will sponsor the changeling and accept the responsibility of training this new squire in the ways and history of the order. Once the Knight feels that his apprentice has proven himself worthy of joining the Knighthood, he leads his student into the depths of the Hedge and aids him in the crafting of a pair of powerful vambraces; the mark of membership within the Knighthood. The student is then abandoned by his mentor. He is set with the goal of returning to the order with a prized pelt from the Hedge within the next forty-eight hours. Should he fail to return with his prize within that time, the magic of the vambraces will fade and his opportunity to join the Knighthood will be lost forever. If he should succeed, his membership within the order shall be sealed by oath before the Keeper of the Oath and the Knights of the Order. His vambraces shall stay with him to his death, a constant reminder of his oath and his most valued tools in upholding them. '''Mien: '''Knights of the order are identified by a few obvious changes to their mein, not all manifest the same in each knight but every knight typically will display two or more signs of the order. Many will develop a gradual shift of pigmentation and/or hair to a pure white or shimmering gold. Several others will manifest a golden halo (with a few possessing streaks of crimson within the golden glow). Still others manifest scars of past wounds over their bodies or grow in stature and girth with their prominent features becoming more pronounced. These traits become more distinct as the Knight's Wyrd increases. '''Background: ' In the early 12th century in London, William Cartwright, a young man barely a soldier, watched in awe and terrific horror as a massive army marched upon his fellow soldiers. The land before them burned, the opposing soldiers dissipated in crimson mist. All seemed lost for William and the keep he called home. As he stood upon the wall, watching his brothers fight to the last, he knew that soon the forces would be upon him and soon it would be his time to die. As the enemy drew near, the massive gate to the keep parted. From within the keep's bowels, a massive war cry let loose. Out from the parted gate rode twelve individuals clad in the armor of the Knights of Golden Oak Keep. Together they drove a wedge deep into the enemy forces and began to drive the enemy back. Watching these brave knights fight for the safety of the castle and its people filled William with a pride that forced out the dread that had overcome him. They were great warriors and they slew many. But the numbers were overwhelming even for them. Many of the knights fell amongst the corpses of their foes but their brothers fought on. They knew that if they fought hard enough, that maybe they could save those they had sworn to protect and the deaths of their brothers would not be in vain. The fight drew on for what seemed days. Now, all that remained of the knighthood lay in three brave souls. Their mounts lay dead, their swords bore the weight of a legion, and their blood stained the steel of their armor. Yet there they stood back to back fighting the remains of a dying army. The numbers surrounding them then parted and backed away. It seemed as if these knights had won the battle... they were wrong. “The Shadow of a Thousand Suns”, the True Fae who commanded the intruding forces that these saviors had fought off throughout the night, now presented himself to these warriors-of-little-worth. It is at that very moment that the Order of the Heirs of the Lost Knighthood was first established. For at that moment, three knights (Lexadon Azo, Fredericke Godspeed, and Sebastian Cartwright) made a blood-soaked oath to the Wyrd and sealed it with their eternal souls. That night, three changeling knights fought off and slew a great True Fae in defense of their freehold of changelings and mortals alike. And as their bodies collapsed upon his broken form, the pact was solidified. Though they gave their lives that night, their sacrifice was but a small contribution to their oath for they had sworn their very blood to the Wyrd. This promise could not be fulfilled by them alone and so their line would continue to uphold this oath. This is the history of the Order of the Heirs of the Lost Knighthood, a story that is told to each new squire by the Keeper of the Oath upon their inauguration. Though they swore their oath to the order freely, it was never truly a choice for them to make... Organization: The Lost Knighthood is a tight knit organization of warriors bound together by blood and duty. They are found throughout many of the changeling freeholds. Their numbers at a specific freehold is determined by the size and influence of the freehold as well as the potential for danger befalling the changelings of that hold. Amongst each cell they see each other as peers and brothers, yet it cannot be denied that the skills and accolades vary amongst the Knights. Respect is the closest the Knights have to a ranking system. Your deeds and abilities speak for themselves and determine how your brethren will look upon you. Outside the individual cells, there is a similar structure of rank but loyalty runs deepest amongst motleys of a given hold (you trust the most the man who guards your back). The exception to their ranking system is the Keeper of the Oath. He is the closest thing to a commander that the order has and is treated as such. The Knights adhere to his word as law and rarely question his wisdom. Amongst all of the order, there is one Keeper of the Oath who watches over all. The Keeper of the Oath typically takes up residence where he/she feels they are most needed and so can be found amongst any of the many freeholds. The Knights located in the freehold of the Keeper see it as a great honor to be amongst those on the most crucial battlefront and (temporarily at least) carry themselves in greater esteem than those that are not. The Keeper of the Oath is not a monarch and so his authority outside of the order is determined by his/her relations with the individual monarchs. Concepts: Priviledges: ''Vambraces of the Blood-Oath-'' '''Devastating Armament: Any weapon donned by an Heir of the Lost Knighthood becomes a vicious instrument of victory. Whether they wield a blade, club, or firearm, the weapon pierces through even the strongest of armors. The heir may spend one glamour to manifest the power of the Wyrd and imbue their weapon with its power. Upon a successful activation, the heir may boost the weapon's damage bonus by up to their Wyrd rating for the duration of the scene. Action: Reflexive. Drawback: This great boon comes at a cost to the knight. At the end of the scene that the weapon is enhanced, the wielder takes bashing damage equal to the bonus granted to the weapon. This damage cannot be healed with magic. If the heir takes enough damage, this is capable of killing the heir. '''Catch: '''The heir can forgo the cost of activation and fuel the armament directly. If this is done, half the damage (rounded up) they receive at the end of the scene is lethal instead of bashing. '''Immaculate Aegis: '''Manifesting the power of the Wyrd as armor offers protection that has no peer. Upon activation, the Wyrd cloaks the heir and guards them from harm. The heir may spend a point of glamour to manifest a suit of armor unique to the heir. The heir's armor rating increases by the changeling's Wyrd rating. '''Action: '''Instant. '''Drawback: '''Activating this protection requires a tithe of the heir's life force. At the end of the scene, the heir manifests stigmata which incurs a point of lethal damage. '''Catch: '''If the heir activates the Aegis in an act of defending another, they can forgo the cost required to activate this token. '''Bred For Glory- '''When times are most dire and victory much be achieved, a Lost Knight puts all that he is and all that he shall be in assuring that victory. He cannot suffer defeat, his will must be fulfilled. This is what it means to stand in the ranks of the Lost Knighthood. With dying breath, each knight shall ensure a brighter tomorrow for those they protect. When an Heir of the Lost Knighthood uses Heroic Effort they gain additional bonus dice equal to half their Wyrd rating rounded down (Wyrd 5 = +5 dice, Wyrd 6-7 = +6 dice, Wyrd 8-9 = +7 dice and Wyrd 10 = +8 dice). Rumors About the Knighthood: